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Release of the FOSTER Open Science Toolkit

Release of the FOSTER Open Science Toolkit

FOSTER Plus developed a set of ten free online courses covering key topics of Open Science. Each course takes about one hour to complete.

Do We Need an Open Science Coalition?

Do We Need an Open Science Coalition?

What exactly is Open Science? Its lack of an appropriate common definition has meant Open Science can be a variety of things; a social justice issue, part of a political capitalist regime, or a form of traditional science. But this lack of consensus leaves room for Open Science to be co-opted and even exploited.

AI Peer Reviewers Unleashed to Ease Publishing Grind

AI Peer Reviewers Unleashed to Ease Publishing Grind

Automated tools could speed up and improve the review process, but humans are still in the driving seat. Most researchers have good reason to grumble about peer review: it is time-consuming and error-prone, and the workload is unevenly spread, with just 20% of scientists taking on most reviews. Now peer review by artificial intelligence (AI) is promising to improve the process, boost the quality of published papers — and save reviewers time.

The European Open Science Cloud is Officially Launched

The European Open Science Cloud is Officially Launched

The European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) is officially launched. The inauguration marks the conclusion of a long process, demonstrates the importance of EOSC for the advancement of research in Europe and introduces the new EOSC Portal.

We Scientists 2035 Workshop Day - with Jacques Dubochet | 7 Feb 2019 | Veranstaltung | Naturwissenschaften Schweiz

We Scientists 2035 Workshop Day - with Jacques Dubochet | 7 Feb 2019 | Veranstaltung | Naturwissenschaften Schweiz

Do you work in a scientific research institution? Are you frustrated with aspects of current research culture, such as the pressure to "publish or perish", the reproducibility crisis, climbing the academic ladder and persistent gender biases? Do you want to shape the culture that you work in? Join us on the 7th of February, 2019 at the University of Lausanne for an afternoon of "We Scientists 2035 Workshops". Let's make small changes today for a better research culture tomorrow!

Reference Implementation for Open Scientometric Indicators

Reference Implementation for Open Scientometric Indicators

Within the project "Reference implementation for Open Scientometric Indicators" (ROSI), new assessments and visualizations of conventional and alternative metrics (altmetrics) will be developed and their effect on researchers will be investigated. For this purpose, a reference implementation based on the open source research information system VIVO will be developed in which various metrics are combined with data from different openly licensed sources. In order to develop the requirements of the target groups, surveys are going to be conducted to investigate the effect of scientometric indicators on scientist's and their expectations regarding those indicators. The objectives of the project are firstly to evaluate the scientometric needs and concerns of the target groups, and secondly to implement a usable reference implementation of a toolset that reflects the results of the study and that enables transparent, license-free, flexibly adaptable analysis of the output of researchers, contributors and organisations.

Gender Imbalance in Cancer Research Grants

Gender Imbalance in Cancer Research Grants

In October 2018, former Catalyst Grant winner 'Ada Lovelace Day' (ALD) celebrated its tenth year of showcasing the achievements of overlooked women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Championing for greater diversity in STEM, and changing the culture and demographics of research, is a year-round effort, and one that ALD supports. We wanted to help extend the celebration of women in science throughout the year, but also use the tools we have available to us to scientifically analyse the state of gender imbalance in research, and evaluate whether these are changing over time.

Career Barriers, Part 1: "I Can't"

Career Barriers, Part 1: "I Can't"

When you look ahead on your career path, do you see nothing but open road to be traveled, or is there a big brick wall in your way that feels insurmountable?

Breaking the Ice Well, Part 2

Breaking the Ice Well, Part 2

2017 marked the first year of the AAAS Community Engagement Fellows Program (CEFP), funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Elsevier: the Price of Success

Elsevier: the Price of Success

In its most recent publication, Education International examines the publishing giant Elsevier, whose success on the market is based on ethically questionable practices which endanger the transmission of knowledge and its condition as a public good.

Taking Back Control: the New University and Academic Presses That Are Re-envisioning Scholarly Publishing

Taking Back Control: the New University and Academic Presses That Are Re-envisioning Scholarly Publishing

Ideas in support of an upward trend in universities and academics setting up their own presses in an environment increasingly dominated by large commercial publishing houses.

Stop Exploitation of Foreign Postdocs in the United States

Stop Exploitation of Foreign Postdocs in the United States

A survey reveals some lab heads are using the need for visas to create unacceptable conditions for junior researchers.

ELife, Coko, Hindawi Limited and Digirati Commit to Libero for Open-source Publishing

ELife, Coko, Hindawi Limited and Digirati Commit to Libero for Open-source Publishing

The development of a brand-new version of Libero will be governed under a model that puts the community at the heart of the project.

Change - Challenging Gender (In)Equality in Science and Research

Change - Challenging Gender (In)Equality in Science and Research

The main aim of CHANGE is it to support research performing organisations (RPOs) to design and implement gender equality plans. This will be achieved by involving key actors, called Transfer Agents (TAs), within each organisation who will together with the core consortium partners transmit co-produced gender equality knowledge inside their institutions.

The Game of Open Access

The Game of Open Access

The "Game of Open Access" is a board game developed by staff from Computing & Library Services at the University of Huddersfield. The aim is to to engage researchers with the key concepts and tools required to meet Open Access mandates. Through the use of playful learning, it aims to develop an understanding of the role of Open Access through the initial idea for an article to its acceptance for publication.

Google Scholar to Overshadow Them All? Comparing the Sizes of 12 Academic Search Engines and Bibliographic Databases

Google Scholar to Overshadow Them All? Comparing the Sizes of 12 Academic Search Engines and Bibliographic Databases

Information on the size of academic search engines and bibliographic databases (ASEBDs) is often outdated or entirely unavailable. Hence, it is difficult to assess the scope of specific databases.

How to Save Space and Stick to the Limit when Writing Research Funding Applications

How to Save Space and Stick to the Limit when Writing Research Funding Applications

Research funders impose length limits on applications for practical reasons: to discourage epic submissions, and to ease the burden on reviewers. It’s also true that concise ideas are generally stronger ideas. But sticking to these limits can often seem a difficult and frustrating task.

Why I Became a Mental-health First-aider at My Research Institute

Why I Became a Mental-health First-aider at My Research Institute

Research group leaders should learn how to recognize if colleagues are experiencing problems at work, says James Turner.